Kaiser Chiefs * * * * *
Civic Hall, Wolverhampton
Review by Emma Brady

In the pantheon of Britpop, there are but a few real frontmen who are truly charismatic, namely Ian Brown, Liam Gallagher and, perhaps, Jarvis Cocker.

And as Kaiser Chiefs opened their set it was the latter who came to mind as Ricky Wilson began kicking amps and knocking over the mic stand to unintentional comic effect.

Theatrics aside, there was no denying his enthusiasm and energy as he jumped around to the first crowd-pleaser of the night Every Day I Love You Less And Less, swiftly followed by current single Ruby.

The terrace-style chanting was littered with Wolves chants, as the audience taunted the Leeds band ahead of their hometown team’s 1-0 defeat at Molineux.

Like that match, the gig was also a game of two halves. After some half-time beer and crisps on stage, the Kaisers launched into a sweaty and frenetic version of Born To Be A Dancer, followed by the cowbell-laden Modern Way.

Excepting the hardcore fans at the front, the capacity crowd nodded politely to several new tracks including Highroyd.

Any doubts over whether Ricky’s posturing was fake were scotched after he was dragged down into the mosh pit by eager fans during I Predict A Riot, who were reluctant to let go of some parts of his anatomy.

The Angry Mob was the best of the new material in the set, and is bound to be chanted at every festival from T in the Park to Glastonbury this summer.

After closing their 80-minute set with an excellent rendition of Retirement, the boys reappeared to deliver a blistering encore of Na Na Na Naa and Oh My God. And, oh my God, it was great to see the boys back on form.